1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing video program material to subscribers, and in particular to a method and system for ensuring reception of conditional access information in multi-tuner receivers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Media programs such as video and audio information can be distributed to households via a variety of methods including terrestrial transmitters, cable, the Internet, and satellites. Each of these media distribution systems implement a large number of channels, and are therefore capable of providing a large number of concurrently broadcast media programs to each household.
While existing systems provide a large number of channels, there is a trend towards even greater numbers of channels and greater bandwidth requirements on existing channels to accommodate, for example, HDTV. With regard to satellite-based media program distribution systems, the increased channels and bandwidth demands can be satisfied by the introduction of additional satellites and/or the use of additional transponders on the satellites.
In order to receive signals from each of the plurality of satellites, ground stations can include multiple antennae (each directed to a satellite of interest) coupled to a single tuner, multiple receiving elements (referred to as low noise block converters, or LNBs) using a single reflector, or multiple antennae and multiple tuners.
At the same time, it is important that the media programs transmitted by the satellites be protected from unauthorized reception and/or reproduction. This is accomplished by encrypting the media programs, and broadcasting data that (along with hardware disposed at the receiver station) is used to decrypt the media programs.
Unfortunately, when consumers go from one channel to another, the channel selection may require the receiver to switch from one tuner to the other (since the second channel is being transmitted by a different satellite than the first channel). In some cases, this switching from one tuner to the other can temporarily interrupt the reception of the information required to decrypt the desired media information. This problem is especially notable when the user is rapidly changing channels, or “channel surfing.”
What is needed is a system and method for assuring that the information required to decrypt media programs is readily available, even in circumstances when a channel command requires switching tuners from one to another. The present invention satisfies that need.